The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Henin in final

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 12, 2007
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Henin in final

Madrid: Defending champion Justine Henin will play 2004 winner Maria Sharapova in the Sony Ericsson Championships final.

In Saturday’s semifinals of the round-robin tournament that features the top eight players, Henin beat the fourth-ranked Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-4 and Sharapova defeated No. 7 Anna Chakvetadze 6-2, 6-2.

Henin improved to 3-0 against Ivanovic, who put up a tougher fight than their last encounter — a 6-1, 6-2 defeat in the French Open final.

Long rallies

The top-ranked Belgian, who has won 24 straight matches, had to work hard, needing long rallies to break Ivanovic six times while successfully holding serve on nine occasions despite nine double faults.

Henin can become the first player to go unbeaten post-Wimbledon since Steffi Graf in 1989 by winning her 10th title of 2007.

That would also make her the first player to win 10 or more titles in a season since Martina Hingis in 1997.

Henin and Sharapova last met in last year’s semifinals of the WTA’s season-ending tournament with Henin winning 6-2, 7-5(5) to clinch the year-end No. 1 ranking.

Sharapova has beaten Henin only twice in eight meetings, the last for the US Open trophy last year.

Henin trailed 2-0 in the first set after returning Ivanovic’s forehand long. Henin broke back and then saved five break points in a game that went to deuce eight times, Ivanovic hitting long to make it 2-2.

Having lost her serve in the fifth and seventh games, Ivanovic rallied with a break to trail 5-4 before dropping the set.

After Henin had broken to start the second set, Ivanovic scored her fourth break to make it 3-3 when Henin swung wildly. Henin broke back as Ivanovic netted.

Ivanovic led 0-30 in the last game, but Henin used a video replay challenge to uphold the ace that drew her level.

“I’m happy about this rule,” Henin said about the Hawkeye technology. “I thought it was out, but I had to take the risk ... and it turned the last game.” — AP

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